The empty nest
What you need to know:
- Men generally tend to be better at maintaining a functional life away from their children. This may be due to how we are wired. Women on the other hand tend to love from the heart and become absorbed by motherhood; A natural instinct for them that is hard to fight. That is why they say ‘there’s no love like a mother’s love.’
- However make time your own interests. If reading is your thing, join a book club or something. Make time every so often to spend time with your friends. Raising children is like holding water in your hands. You can only hold it for so long.
If you are a parent you need to be aware of something sinister that will befall you. Those little children or brats you call offspring will pull a move on you that will leave you reeling. They will pack their suitcases when they are of age and tell you they are moving out. The boys will be the first ones to flee. The girls may stay a little longer until some guy comes around proposing all sorts of things and take them away to be their wife.
Woe unto you if you threw out all your friends to focus on raising those children. Woe unto you if you made excuses to your mates because the children were nursing a cough. To put it simply, children are not loyal. They subtly hoodwink you into making them the centre of your universe. If you are not careful, you take the bait.
Gradually your entire world starts to revolve around them. You jump to attention as their protector trying to be the best parent. You drop a sport or a club you were passionate about all in the name of raising the little humans. You may even halt a business or cut short a career in this endeavour. The chickens however come home to roost sooner than later.
The house that was filled with shrieks and excited laughter becomes quiet. The bedrooms that housed the little dudes and dudettes become eerie. Too many memories in that house will leave an empty longing in your heart. The friends that you were once close with will have moved on. You may feel it is a little late to rekindle old interests; a time of real consternation. What do you do with all that time on your hands after they have gone?
As a parent try to remember that they will not be children forever but real human beings that grow up to start their own lives. Raise them right but do not neglect yourself in the process.
Men generally tend to be better at maintaining a functional life away from their children. This may be due to how we are wired. Women on the other hand tend to love from the heart and become absorbed by motherhood; A natural instinct for them that is hard to fight. That is why they say ‘there’s no love like a mother’s love.’
However make time your own interests. If reading is your thing, join a book club or something. Make time every so often to spend time with your friends. Raising children is like holding water in your hands. You can only hold it for so long.
